Flexible chuting



May 10, 1966 c. v. CORRELL FLEXIBLE CHUTING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 1, 1963 INVENTOR Curzzls V Cor/"ell BY Z a M I$TORNE (.1 V. CORRELL FLEXIBLE CHUTING May 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 1, 1963 R aw mu m m. mm 7 M Y c fl 6 V. E F w f. P m w 4 1 4. 5 w m Z Z 26 Tnd/L m "67 F United States Patent ice 3,250,360 FLEXIBLE CHUTING Curtis V. Correll, Glendale, Califi, assignor to Standard This invention relates to a chute and, in particular, to a flexible chute for feeding ammunition from a box to a gun.

In chutes of this type, it is sometimes necessary to disarm the gun and unload the chute of its ammunition. Heretofore, the ammunition track in the chute had not been smooth in the direction of unloading and had sharp edges which cut and scored the copper cases or projectile faces in such a way that such cutting and scoring would later cause a jamming in the breech of a gun, such as a machine gun.

An object of this invention is to produce a flexible chute which has a smooth track in either a forward or reverse movement of the ammunition in the chute.

Also, chutes of this type must be of a length to fit the requirements of a particular gun. Ordinarily the separation of the links in the chute for changing the length of the chute requires the use of a special tool. A further object of this invention is to construct the links of the chute in such a way that they can be unhooked from each other by means of a sharp pointed object such as a nail or the nose of a bullet.

The means by which the objects of the invention are obtained are described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the track of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIGURE 1 as taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged plan view of a track liner according to this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of an individual link;

FIGURE 6 is a front view of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a side view of FIGURE 5; and FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a portion of a chute showing the connection between the links.

Each substantially rectangular link 10 has a bottom wall 12, side walls 14, and spaced top wall portions 16. In this invention, each side wall has an opening 18 for a purpose hereinafter described.

Inside each link 10 is a track liner 20 which may be one piece or separated into several pieces. Each liner has an exposed'edge portion 22 fastened to the link 10, as by spot Welding, and an integral extended covered edge portion 24 which projects beyond the link. The exposed edge portion has downwardly bent end portions 25 so that the portion intermediate the ends is raised above and spaced from the link. The extended covered portion 24 of an adjacent link is inserted beneath this raised portion. Heretofore, the exposed edge 26 laid in the plane of the 3,2535% Patented May 10, 1966 exposed portion 22 and formed a sharp edge facing the gun end 27 of the chute. Thus the track was, in effect, smooth for ammunition moving toward the gun end. However, when the chute was unloaded with a reversed movement of the ammunition, these sharp edges would cut and score the ammunition. According to this invention, the edge 26 is turned over or closed down so that it will rest on top of the extended covered portion 24 of an adjacent link. This produces a sufliciently smooth joint between the liners so that when ammunition is withdrawn from the chute it slides over the joints between the liners without being cut or scored.

In this invention, the links are detachablycoupled to each other by means of channel-shaped connectors which are positioned between the track liner and each side wall, respectively, of the link. Each connector, note FIGURE 8, has a web 32 and flanges 34, these flanges being attached as by spot welding to the bottom 12 and top wall portions 16 of the link. Web 32 has a crescent-shaped slot 36 which is aligned'with and communicates with opening 18. A tongue 38 extends outwardly of web 32 in the plane thereof. Tab 40 is pressed outwardly of tongue 38 and has its free end directed toward the slot 36. As all the elements of the link are made of metal, tab 40 is resilient. When the links are assembled, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 8, the tab 40 of one link is inserted through the slot 36 of an adjacent link for coupling the links to each other. To disassemble the links, the links are pulled as far apart as possible and then the chute is bowed slightly crosswise so that tab 40 lies only in the area of slot 36. A sharp pointed tool, as indicated by the dashed lines 42, FIGURE 8, is then inserted through opening 18 and pressed against tab 40. This will push the tab inwardly through the slot 36 and thus dis engage the adjacent links.

Having now described the means by which the objects of the invention are obtained, I claim:

1. In a flexible ammunition chuting having substantially rectangular links and track liners each having an exposed edge portion joined to one link and a covered edge portion lapped with a similar liner in an adjoining link, the improvement in which the free edge of said exposed edge portion is turned over onto the covered edge portion of said adjoining similar liner to form a substantially smooth track joint for chuted ammunition moving in a forward or reverse direction without scoring.

2. In a chuting as in claim 1, each exposed edge portion having downwardly bent opposite ends and being turned over between said ends.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,477,264 7/1949 Pearson et al. 19325 2,890,779 6/1959 Aumann 193-25 2,953,230 9/1960 Aumann 193-25 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Ex miner.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Examiner.

A. L. LEVINE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A FLEXIBLE AMMUNITION CHUTING HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR LINKS AND TRACK LINERS EACH HAVING AN EXPOSED EDGE PORTION JOINED TO ONE LINK AND A COVERED EDGE PORTION LAPPED WITH A SIMILAR LINER IN AN ADJOINING LINK, THE IMPROVEMENT IN WHICH THE FREE EDGE OF SAID EXPOSED EDGE PORTION IS TURNED OVER ONTO THE COVERED EDGE PORTION OF SAID ADJOINING SIMILAR LINEAR TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH TRACK JOINT FOR CHUTED AMMUNITION MOVING IN A FORWARD OR REVERSE DIRECTION WITHOUT SCORING. 